A Winning Style At Sabal Point Judge: Community Exhibits Cohesiveness

April 27, 1986|By Joe Kilsheimer of The Sentinel Staff

Since its first residents moved in 12 years ago, Sabal Point has lived in the shadow of Sweetwater Oaks. Both are luxury housing developments -- separated by less than a mile of Wekiva Springs Road in south Seminole County -- but Sweetwater always enjoyed the cachet of being the area's premier community.

But now Sabal Point, winner of the Grand Award in the 1986 Parade of Homes Communities competition, has grown out of Sweetwater's shadow. Because not every development was entered in the Parade, it would be unfair to say Sabal Point is Central Florida's best. But the award at least means the community is first among equals when it comes to the region's major housing projects.

Officials with the Home Builders Association of Mid-Florida, which sponsors the annual Parade of Homes competition that ends today, said Sabal Point's award holds special meaning this year. This is the first year planned communities were judged as a separate category.

But the most important reason, the officials say, is the caliber of judges that were brought in from around the country. Each of the 14 judges is a nationally recognized expert within the residential construction industry, in specialties such as landscaping design, architecture, marketing or interior decor.

''What we wanted to say with this year's selection of judges was that if these people think these are the best projects, then they are the best,'' said Belinda Gowen, builders association director of public affairs.

Lamar Cheatham, an Atlanta architect and builder who served as one of the judges, said the 3,000-acre Sabal Point was chosen as the best planned community because of its ''cohesiveness.''

The landscaping, the traffic flow, the unobtrusive separation of its neighborhoods, and the spread-out golf course all blended into a quiet, natural ambiance that reflected a rounded, well-planned environment, Cheatham said.

''Sabal Point had a sense of completeness to it that the other developments didn't seem to have,'' Cheatham said. ''All of the other projects were well done; but at the others, you had a sense that something was missing, like the signage was a little overwhelming, or the traffic flow was awkward.''

Sabal Point's air of completeness is no accident, although it was accomplished while undergoing several changes of ownership. Started in 1974 by an Orlando lawyer, the project went bankrupt in the recession of the mid- 1970s. The land changed hands several times until it was purchased in 1983 by NTS/Florida Properties Inc., based in Lexington, Ky.

Gary Adams, NTS/Florida president, said most of Sabal Point's basic qualities were intact when the company took over, but ''it needed a little tender loving care.''

NTS did things like planting 30,000 begonia plants throughout the development, making it almost Sabal Point's official flower. NTS also installed fountains at the development's three entrances, helping to create that peaceful ambiance.

It sought out quality builders for its new custom homes neighborhood, Sabal View. The Parade of Homes' judges gave the grand award in the custom homes category to Suncraft Homes' Lancaster model in Sabal View.

NTS has enhanced the quiet separation of individual neighborhoods within Sabal Point. Each neighborhood faces inward from Sabal Palm Drive, the main road that runs through the community, so that heavy traffic is almost unnoticed by residents in their homes. Residents in the older sections of Sabal Point, which were built before NTS arrived, are pitching in to help pay for an attractive brick wall to replace the wooden fence around their neighborhoods.

The development's recreational aspects, such as the golf and tennis club, are also an integral part of the development, yet they don't overwhelm it. Sabal Point is a golf club community, but it is not known as a golf club community. The 18 fairways are spread out a little more than those on most golf courses, but that provides prospective buyers with more opportunities for lots with fairway views.

NTS also has sought to offer a wide range of housing options at Sabal Point. Within the development, there are apartments, golf villas, condominiums, townhouses, zero-lot-line houses, single-family houses and custom-built executive homes.

The apartments rent for about $600 a month; the golf villas are priced from the mid-$70s. The condos and the townhouses are in the $80,000-to-$90,000 range. The zero-lot-line houses sell in the $120,000 range. The single-family houses sell for between $130,000 and $170,000. And the custom-home prices range between $200,000 and $300,000.

NTS is preparing to introduce in May a new project for retirees. Called Village on the Green, the project will be an adult congregate living facility with luxury features.